Which jacks are the most efficient, reliable.
Submitted: Sunday, Nov 26, 2006 at 11:52
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Member - Axle
Have had a 3t hydraulic bottle jack for 10 yrs no probs. just carry some different sized hardwood timber for a base. Helped a guy on the side of the road the other day, he was in a dyna tipper with about 3t of top soil on with a blown passengers side front tyre. his standard toyo screw type jack was struggling to cope with the weight, so we got the bottle jack under the chassis rail as
well, lifted it easily with the two, any one can get caught out at times.
Cheers Axle.
Reply By: Member - Axle - Sunday, Nov 26, 2006 at 11:56
Sunday, Nov 26, 2006 at 11:56
HA HA can' t believe i just posted this ( next post down).
AnswerID:
206939
Follow Up By: Kev M (NSW) - Sunday, Nov 26, 2006 at 11:58
Sunday, Nov 26, 2006 at 11:58
Axle,
I don't recommend the Mitsubishi ones. LOL
Kev
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FollowupID:
466920
Reply By: Member - Stephen L (SA) - Sunday, Nov 26, 2006 at 13:29
Sunday, Nov 26, 2006 at 13:29
Hi Axle
I find a good bottle jack perfect for all situations. I carry a metal 30cm X 30cm heavy duty aluminium check base plate and hardwood timber for the soft stuff. Because the weight situation when travelling, I use a 6 tonne jack. At lease I know then that it will be able to handle what ever it comes up against.
Stephen
AnswerID:
206944
Reply By: Willem - Sunday, Nov 26, 2006 at 14:55
Sunday, Nov 26, 2006 at 14:55
I carry a Trolley jack, Nissan jack(screw type), a Hi Lift jack and an Exhaust Jack.
The 1850kg safe working load Trolley jack is used the most. It is by far the easiest jack to operate.
Cheers
AnswerID:
206952
Follow Up By: oldbaz - Sunday, Nov 26, 2006 at 17:33
Sunday, Nov 26, 2006 at 17:33
I'm with you Willem, trolley jack & a suitable piece of timber. No crawling under
vehicle, needs less clearance, a few pumps & wheel is airborne. May take a little more space but wins on convenience...oldbaz.
FollowupID:
466954
Reply By: Kiwi Kia - Sunday, Nov 26, 2006 at 15:20
Sunday, Nov 26, 2006 at 15:20
I much prefer the bottle jack but because of the little round top I often find them unstable and can slip off any surface that is not exactly flat so I carry a small attachment that I slip over the top of my bottle jack.
It's a 'C' section (open side up) piece of metal channel about 75mm (3 inches) long x 50 mm wide with a bit of square section tube about 50 mm long welded at right angles on the bottom. The whole thing is in the shape of a 'T', channel horizontal and square section vertical. It sits on the top of the bottle jack and fits under the diff or chassis. As the jack is extended it lifts up inside the square section. This simple device changes the little round top of the jack into a larger flat surface with raised sides so that it does not slip off a chassis rail or curved diff bottom.
AnswerID:
206960
Follow Up By: Member - Roachie (SA) - Sunday, Nov 26, 2006 at 20:33
Sunday, Nov 26, 2006 at 20:33
Top idea mate.....time to crank-up the welder me thinks...... Thanks
FollowupID:
466984
Reply By: Robin - Sunday, Nov 26, 2006 at 17:52
Sunday, Nov 26, 2006 at 17:52
Manufacturers tend to use standard screw type because it is most dependable
and all round easy to use.
Hydraulic jacks are less reliable and many fail particularly with advent of the cheapies.
Often due to poor lock off screws.
But good bottle Hydraulic can lift more with les effort, although they are heavier for same rating.
Usually in bush its getting a good max/min height ratio that counts and screw ones tend to win over the bottle types.
Robin Miller
AnswerID:
206971
Follow Up By: Member - Roachie (SA) - Sunday, Nov 26, 2006 at 20:40
Sunday, Nov 26, 2006 at 20:40
Robin,
You've hit on an important aspect that not many people consider. Many aftermarket jacks (hydraulic bottle) are too high (in their fully compressed position), to fit under the jacking point when you have a flat tyre. Okay if you're on sand or soft soil, as you can just dig-out some ground to slide the jack under.....not so easy on bitumen or similar hard surface (like the shoulder of a gravel road).
However, also a frustration, is the fact that with many sizes of tyres we typically use (75 series aspect or higher), you also have an additional issue. You've bought a jack that will fit under jacking point when there is a flat tyre. However, when you jack the bloody thing up as high as it will go, you find that the vehicle hasn't risen high enough to get the old tyre off............or worse still, you get that one off and then can't get the new tyre on as the vehicle hasn't been raised high enough.
The answer is to get a hydraulic jack with a double piston action (I think that's what it is called).
FollowupID:
466985
Follow Up By: Member - Axle - Sunday, Nov 26, 2006 at 23:09
Sunday, Nov 26, 2006 at 23:09
In my opion, sometimes in a bad situation forget the bloody jacking points, get the jack under something that looks strong take up the weight and then chock it, move the jack towards the end that needs lifting and repeat the process. thats why i like all my little off cuts of 4x4 timber and bottle jack.
cheers.Axle.
FollowupID:
467009
Follow Up By: Robin - Monday, Nov 27, 2006 at 08:20
Monday, Nov 27, 2006 at 08:20
As per Axle , carry a few odd bits of wood here which helps with jacking.
Some jacks are better designed than others , can't remember the exact figures
but when I searched around I didn't care so much if it was bottle or screw type but I came up with a screw type jack that had a 3:1 max/min height ratio (many bottle jacks don't make 2:1) , and it was also the lightest jack so I was happy.
Same thing applies to garage jacks , many these days struggle to go up to 500mm,
but if you search around you find some go to 590mm in the same cheap range.
Just have to be aware of whats possible and not buy first thing you see.
Robin Miller
FollowupID:
467031
Reply By: ross - Sunday, Nov 26, 2006 at 19:57
Sunday, Nov 26, 2006 at 19:57
Jacks are always easier if they are oversized rather than being just adequate,and differnt types have their advantages in differnent situations.
I like my trolley jack the best as an all rounder but it takes up too much room.
AnswerID:
206987